


I'll Bring You Home

by musikfurfreiheit



Category: Tarja, Within Temptation (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 21:18:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4976917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikfurfreiheit/pseuds/musikfurfreiheit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>can two lost souls can bring each other home?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

** I’ll bring you home **

 

The usual peace of the quiet woods was interrupted when an arrow shot out of its bow and buried itself in the white fur of an innocent rabbit. The blood as red as the sky of the setting sun slowly dripped into the white fur as leaves crunched under the quickly approaching footsteps. The silence between the trees returned when the footsteps stopped in front of the dead rabbit and the woman they belonged to ducked to get her dinner. Her scratched hand pulled out the arrow and wiped it clean with her shirt before returning it to its place in the tube on her back. The rabbit disappeared in her bag before she put it back on her belt and started walking again.

This time her footsteps were silent as she carefully made her way to the river, not haven’t been able to drink anything since the sun rose that morning. As soon as she heard the peaceful sound of the water she started walking faster, falling down on her knees as soon as she reached it. Her hands formed a bowl when they broke through the natural mirror, collecting some of the cold water before splashing it in her face. The cold cut through her skin and almost hurt her nose, but it was exactly what she needed to feel alive.

She put down her bow and tube with arrows before leaning down again and holding her entire face in the water while she held back her long dark hair with one hand. It was only when she ran out of air that she sat up again with a huge smile on her face. She had stolen the iron bottle she took from her bag, both souvenirs of her last visit to one of the four villages 2 months ago. She drank all the water she had filled the bottle with the first time before filling it a second time for the next day and putting it safely away again.

She kicked out her shoes, stolen half a year ago, and inspected the wound on her right ankle. She had been afraid she might not survive it when the wolf attacked her 3 weeks ago, but her knife had saved her, the wound was healing and she had fur to use as a coat next winter.

After she’d done everything that seemed necessary, the 26 year old woman collected the few things she owned and hopped over the river, making her way to what she called home. She knew something was not right when she noticed a fresh footprint in the dirt, a human footprint, nearby her hut.

Carefully she took one of the arrows in her tube and lay it on the bow, ready to shoot when she saw someone. Hiding in the bushes she looked around and aimed on the moving leaves a few meters away, only to relax when she saw the cause of it.

A small dark haired boy who seemed not older than 10 years old stumbled into her view, looking around before releasing a desperate shout.

‘MOM! Mom, where are you?!’

Birds flew up by hearing his shout, scaring the little boy and letting the woman smile. Slowly she came out of her hiding place and approached the boy while she still held her weapon in her left hand.

‘Did you lose your mother?’ The boy quickly turned around, scared by hearing a voice behind his back. He slowly nodded when he eyed the person in front of him. She wore a shirt that was too big for her and the stains of blood and dirt suggested it hadn’t been washed in quite some time, just as the pants that seemed too small for her. Her long dark hair lay over her shoulders, and apart from the bow and arrow she held in her hand, she seemed like a nice person. ‘Apparently you also lost your tongue.’ The woman laughed before stepping forwards, making him to set a step back. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?’

‘Ch-Charlie.’

‘Okay, Charlie, what happened?’

‘I lost my mom.’ Charlie mumbled.

‘And how did that happen?’

‘We were collecting mushrooms for dinner, but I saw a frog and wanted to catch it. She was gone when I turned around again. I’ve been looking for her for hours and … I am scared and I want to home.’ He started crying and the woman was not sure what to do, she hadn’t talked to a kid in years.

‘Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ll bring you home. In what village do you live?’

‘We don’t live in the village. We always have to walk for half an hour when mom brings me to school.’ Charlie sniffed while wiping away his tears

‘So, you live near a village. Do you know which one?’ The boy shook his head.

‘I only know that the river runs through it.’

‘That’s good! The river only runs through two of the villages. Do you know from what direction you came?’ Again Charlie shook his head.

‘Everything looks the same in here.’

‘Okay, you know what? We’ll try both of the villages and see in which one you live. But we can’t go now because we have to walk half a day to get to the closest village and it is way too dangerous to travel through the woods when it’s dark. Do you understand that?’ This time Charlie nodded and the woman smiled again. ‘Okay, you can come with me and sleep in my hut with me, and tomorrow when the sun rises, we’ll go looking for your home.’

‘Wait! What is your name?’ He asked when the woman turned around.

She looked back, took the boy’s hand and smiled.

‘You can call me Tarja.’


	2. Chapter 2

‘Is this where you live?’

Charlie looked around in Tarja’s hut with an impressed look on his face. The hut wasn’t big, but it was enough for a single person. There was a bed against one of the four walls she’d build with trees and a canvas she’d stolen, covered with leaves and bushes. Against the other wall there stood some weapons she used to collect food, some of them like the spear she’d made herself, others like the arrows and knifes she’d also stolen.

‘Yeah, I build it myself, took me almost two years.’

‘Wow! You live in the forest for already two whole years?!’ Charlie asked without looking away from the pile of fur in the corner, making Tarja smile.

‘I think I’ve lived here for the entire time you’ve been walking on this planet.’

‘8 years?!’

‘Make it 10.’ Tarja winked after realizing she’d guessed the boy’s age wrong. ‘Anyway, are you hungry?’

‘Mom says I’m not allowed to ask for food…’ Charlie said unsure.

‘You’re not asking for food, I am asking you if you are hungry.’ In silence the boy watched how Tarja rearranged a few twigs in a circle of stones and then lit them with a match, lighting up the hut. ‘So, are you?’

‘Only if you have something to eat.’

Tarja laughed with his answer, but her smile disappeared when she reached for her bag and realize she’d only caught one rabbit, which was actually just enough for her own. She took the rabbit by its ears and turned her back to the boy while grabbing a knife.

‘Don’t look.’ She warned the boy and then cut of the head.

Only 20 minutes later Tarja en Charlie sat next to each other, chewing the meat of the bones that still dripped of fat and blood. They ate in silence, looking at the fire that kept them warm while the temperature went down outside. Tarja saw the boy licking his lips and looked at her bag with the bottle of water. Should she keep the water or give it to him? When Charlie started licking off the bones she knew his stomach wasn’t filled with just half a rabbit, and neither was her own, but she’d learned to live with it. Without further thinking she handed him the bottle, ignoring how thirsty she was herself.

‘Don’t drink all of it, it’s also for tomorrow.’ Charlie nodded and carefully sipped at the water.

She gave him her bed and used some of the fur she’d collected in the last months to cover the dirt she’d sleep on. The glowing coal that was left of the fire still gave off some warmth and Tarja crawled closer to it because god, she missed the blanket she’d wrapped the young boy in. Besides her bed and her blanket, Charlie also stole her sleep when he opened his eyes on the same moment she closed hers.

‘Tarja?’

‘What?’

‘My mom always sings a lullaby before I go to sleep.’ He whispered, a bit scared of her tone that sounded angry.

‘I’m not your mother.’

Charlie didn’t answer her and for a moment Tarja thought he’d fallen asleep, but when she listened carefully she knew his breathing wasn’t quiet enough. She sighed and cleared her throat before whispering the first words of the only lullaby she remembered from a childhood that seemed so far away. She herself also fell asleep before she reached the last word of the song.

 

The next day their journey started early and without breakfast. The sun was still rising, but the grey fur of a wolf that Tarja had given him kept Charlie warm. The first 10 minutes Tarja had been annoyed by the boy’s loud footsteps that chased away their potential lunch, but after showing him where to set his foots, the two of them quietly moved through the woods.

Their stomachs started asking to be filled after what Tarja suspected to be almost two hours. It had been a while since she’d seen another living thing that they could eat and she started feeling guilty, afraid she wasn’t taking care of the boy as she should. She was relieved when she saw a bush she recognized and walked towards them, taking Charlie along since he refused to let go of her hand.

‘Take as many as you want, but be careful for the thrones.’ She warned before putting one of the red berries in her mouth.

It was only when she tasted the sweet juice that she realized how hungry she was, and noticing the boy’s red mouth she knew she wasn’t the only one. Since they still had to walk two more hours, she put a few berries in her bag for later. She wasn’t planning on hunting with the boy by her side, so she hoped the first village would be the right one.

But the gods hadn’t heard her prayer. When they reached the village after traveling through the woods under the baking sun, Charlie’s face turned from excited to disappointed when he didn’t recognize the houses.

‘This isn’t my home.’ He whispered disappointed, not finding the courage to look at Tarja.

‘It’s okay.’ She assured him, squeezing the smaller hand in hers. ‘Tomorrow we’ll reach the other village and you can go back to your mother.’

She looked back at the forest behind them. The journey to the village at north side of the woods would take one and a half day, meaning she had no choice but to hunt and kill in front of the eyes of a young innocent boy.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was burning on their faces and Tarja’s clothes were soaked with her sweat. When the wolf fur was getting too warm for the small boy he’d given it to her, not wanting to push him for anything. Suddenly Charlie let go of her hand and ran to one of the bushes a few meters further. When Tarja realized what he was doing, she ran after him, reaching him just in time before he put one of the berries in his mouth.

‘No! Charlie, don’t!’ He turned around and Tarja snatched the berries from his small hand. ‘You can’t eat these! They’re poisonous.’

‘I’m sorry… I’m just so hungry.’ Charlie apologized without looking at her.

‘I know. I can go looking for something to eat, but you have to promise me to stay here. Don’t come looking for me, don’t run away until I say so. When you see a wolf or a bear closer than 10 meters, you call me, and only then. Got it?’

Tarja set down her bag and the fur and hid them with Charlie in one of the bushes before sneaking away. It didn’t took her long to find fresh footprints to follow. Only a few 100 meters away she found the hare she was hunting and she needed only one arrow to kill it. There used to be a time she needed all 10 of her arrows to even hit an animal, and then she still had to take its live by cutting the throat. But now her arrows flew through the air with such precision that sometimes she challenged herself to shoot with closed eyes.

When she got back to the place she’d left Charlie, she only found her bag and the fur they’d carried with them. Half in panic she turned around, looking for Charlie who she saw approaching from behind one of the bushes.

‘Charlie! I told you to stay here, no matter what!’ It was only then that she noticed the rabbit in his hands. ‘Where did you get that?’

‘I can run really fast, and I wanted to help you…’

When the boy was standing in front of her she took the rabbit from him and broke its neck, causing it to stop struggling. They looked at each other, Charlie waiting for Tarja to get angry, Tarja unsure about what to do.

‘I’m not sure if I should be mad or not, but, thank you.’

They both smiled at each other and Tarja showed him how to make a fire before he helped her peeling off the skin of their lunch. She taught him how to recognize a few edible berries and filled their pockets while collecting them. Tarja laughed when she saw how he attacked the rabbit he’d caught and chewed off the meat like he hadn’t eaten in years.

‘Easy there, tiger. No one is going to steal your meal, you caught it so it’s yours.’ Charlie looked up, his mouth red with juices of the berries and fat of the meat, bringing another smile on Tarja’s face.

‘Did you just call me Tiger?’

‘Yeah, why?’ Tarja asked when she saw the excitement in the boy’s eyes.

‘I like it! Can I give you a nickname too?’

‘Just call me Tarja.’ She laughed before throwing the bottle of water in his direction. ‘Catch, Tiger!’

He lay down his food on the fur he was sitting on and actually jumped for the bottle and in the moment she saw the smile on Charlie’s face, she realized how much she was missing company.

Charlie was the first person in months she’d talked to and deep inside she didn’t want him to leave. But he was just a young boy, desperate for the love of his mother and she’d promised to bring him home, so only 20 minutes later they were on their way again.

Charlie was in heaven when Tarja tried to learn him as much as she could about surviving in the woods. She showed him footprints and quizzed him when they saw them again. She asked him if they could eat the berries they passed, asked if he could recognize the birds that flew over their heads or stayed hidden in the trees but still sang their songs for everyone to hear.

The duo traveled for hours learning from each other and getting to know the other without noticing their complaining feet. When they reached the river Tarja decided to call it a night since the sun had started to set half an hour ago. While Charlie filled the bottle with water again after emptying it two times, Tarja went looking for some food again. The sky was red when they were settled and sat next to each other while watching the four birds above the fire. Even though the crickets and the birds kept the silence away, Charlie couldn’t take it.

‘Sooo,’ He started, not looking away from the fire ‘how come you live in the woods?’

‘I got lost, just like you, except there was no one to take me home.’

‘But why don’t you go back now? You know the way! And don’t you miss your parents?’

‘I’m an orphan.’ Tarja answered without looking at him. ‘There’s no one to miss.’

‘Didn’t you have any friends?’ Now she smiled, but Charlie only had eye for the fire that was reflected in the woman’s eyes.

‘Yeah, I had one friend. But things changed, and we both moved on, I think.’

‘So, you’re not sure?’ Suddenly Tarja rose and took the birds out of the fire before sitting down and giving the boy two of them.

‘Eat your food.’ Charlie realized the subject was closed when Tarja kept looking at the fire without saying a word and they both ate their dinner in silence.

When the sun had completely set and the only light left came from the left overs of the fire, Charlie and Tarja lay next to each other on the fur they’d been carrying all day. The boy was fast asleep, but Tarja’s mind was haunted by memories of the only friend she ever had. She remembered the exact shape of the girl’s face when she last saw her 10 years ago, remembered the tears that had rolled down the cheeks of the 19 year old girl and how badly Tarja had wanted to wipe them away, but instead turned around and walked back into the woods. Reality pulled her back when Charlie turned around and curled up to her in his sleep, pressing his small body against her. She stared up at the sky, seeing a few stars between the leaves high above them and refusing to close her eyes. She was not ready for the day Charlie would go home and leave her alone for another 10 years.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day went just as the previous one. They started their journey without having breakfast because Charlie claimed he wanted to be home as soon as possible. In his excitement he almost dragged Tarja along since he was still holding her hand. They laughed and the boy told Tarja about his friends and how jealous they would be when they heard his stories while they walked for hours and ignored their aching feet.

When the sun had reached his highest point, Tarja trusted Charlie to look for edible berries and mushrooms while she went hunting and was not disappointed when she returned with a rabbit and two birds. The boy had even made a fire and helped her preparing the food before they ate it in silence, sitting next to each other.

When they traveled further Charlie only got more excited when they came closer to the village, running in front of Tarja who was slowing her pace. In just two days this little boy had stolen her heart and she wanted to keep him with her. She wanted to take care of him, hunt together, eat together, laugh together, simply _live_ together. But even if she meant anything for Charlie, he just wanted to go home, where the love of his mother was waiting for him.

As much as she wanted to stop him, Charlie ran out of the woods with the same speed an arrow shoot from Tarja’s bow when they reached the edge of the forest. When she followed the boy and came under the trees that had protected them for the last few days, the almost setting sun was hurting her eyes but she could still hear the excitement in Charlie’s voice.

‘There it is! That’s my home!’ He shouted and pointed to the only house that lay separated from the rest. ‘Come on!’

His small hand grabbed hers again before he dragged her towards the house. He saw his mother putting his clothes on the clothesline and let go of Tarja’s hand before he ran towards her. From a distance Tarja looked as Charlie hugged his mother and she heard how both of them said how they had missed each other. She heard Charlie telling his mother in an excited voice and it broke her heart to see him this happy without her. She looked down at her worn shoes and turned around, ready to go back to the woods that gave her comfort. She started walking, but her hand was grabbed by a smaller one before she reached the trees.

‘My mother wants to thank you.’ Tarja just wanted to go back, not facing the other woman, but was just unable to say no to Charlie’s green eyes.

Hand in hand they walked back to the house, Charlie’s mother looking forward to meet the woman who’d saved her son’s live. The silhouette of the woman seemed familiar, and when they faced each other, Tarja’s heart sank. They looked at each other before a whisper rolled over her lips.

‘Sharon…’ The woman raised her hand before stroking Tarja’s face, unable to believe her own eyes.

‘Tarja?’ She closed her eyes, leaning into Sharon’s touch. ‘But.. how? I-I thought you were dead… I went to your funeral.’

‘I know, I was also at the funeral of the girl that I killed while defending myself.’ Tarja sighed when she opened her eyes and saw Sharon looking at her with confusing in her eyes. ‘She attacked me when I got lost 10 years ago. I panicked, but then I started thinking. The girl looked like me, and if they found her, they’d think I was dead, and people wouldn’t punish us for loving each other. Because they did, Sharon, they said Satan had taken over our souls, because we loved each other.’

‘I still do. I still love you, Tarja.’

‘What about Charlie’s father?’

‘He left when he realized that he could never win my heart, it will always belong to you.’ They stared into each other’s eyes before Tarja closed hers again and sighed.

‘I have to go, I have to reach my hut before it’s dark.’

‘Tarja…’

‘Stay with us!’ The two women looked down at Charlie who’d followed their conversation. ‘You won’t reach your hut before the sun is down, you know that just as well as I do! Please mom, can she stay with us?’

‘Only if she wants to.’

Two pair of pleading eyes looked at her and she knew Charlie was right. She’d never reach her hut before the sun went down and staying with them was much safer. Just one night with the woman and the kid she loved wouldn’t hurt her, said her heart. She would never be able to leave them again, said her mind. But she’d learned to listen to her instincts and although she knew better, she followed the two of them inside.

Not much later Tarja and Sharon sat alone in the living room as Charlie lay in his bed. Both of them felt the tension between them, but it was Sharon who first acted upon it.

‘I was so worried about you.’ She said while her fingers danced over the scarred skin of Tarja’s hand. ‘I couldn’t believe it when they said you were dead, you couldn’t be dead. I cried myself to sleep for so many nights.’ Tarja grabbed the fingers that stroke her skin and took over their job.

‘I’m so sorry, Sharon. I never meant to hurt you, I just thought this was the best solution for both of us.’

‘Tarja?’ Charlie asked, standing in the doorway in his pajamas. ‘Will you sing me a lullaby one last time?’

‘You sang him his lullabies?’ Sharon asked surprised and Tarja smiled.

Tarja rose and pushed the boy back to his room, followed by Sharon. Both of them sat down on his bed while Charlie lay down on his pillow again. The two women pulled the covers over his small body and Tarja looked at him before singing the first line of the lullaby she’d also sang the two previous nights. Sharon smiled when she recognized the song and joined her as Charlie fell asleep during their whispered song.

‘He’ll miss you when you go home.’ Sharon broke the silence in which they admired the sleeping boy.

Tarja looked at her sad face and cupped her cheek with her scarred hand. She looked at the moonlight that was reflected in the other woman’s eyes that made the decision for her. She leaned in, shivered when their lips lightly touched and her whispered words fell on Sharon’s.

‘I am home.’

 

Tarja felt her nerves tingling all over her body when their lips melted together. It had been years since she had felt any kind of affection and her body wasn’t used to it anymore. The skin under her clothes was covered with goosebumps when she felt Sharon’s touch and she leaned in even more. More, she wanted nothing but more.

Sharon pulled back and grabbed her wrist before dragging her out of the boy’s room in silence. They entered her own bedroom, and Sharon kissed her again after closing the door. She caressed the pale skin of Tarja’s neck while her lover closed her eyes and tilted back her head. Scarred hands stroke the body they once had known so well, and the memories came back with every touch.

They had done this once before Tarja disappeared, back when she was just a 16 year old girl, not knowing what she was doing but loved the other girl so much that she’d follow her in everything. It had been awkward, but they had made love to each other nonetheless.

For the first time in 10 years Tarja really felt the warm flesh of another human being and she couldn’t help it but want to feel everything of it. Sharon removed her hands from the other woman’s body and pulled her own shirt over her head, making Tarja to pull back and watch her in awe.

‘You… are so beautiful.’ She whispered shy and without hesitating Sharon grabbed the hem of her worn shirt and took it off.

It was the first time Tarja ever showed her scars, and she was glad that the only light was coming from the moon outside. Her life in the woods had been dangerous and every scratch was a living witness of it. Sharon gasped when she saw the three angry looking red scars on Tarja’s left shoulder and gently touched them.

‘A bear attacked me when-’

‘Shht.’ Sharon silenced her before admiring her body again. ‘You are beautiful.’

She was guided to the bed and Sharon carefully crawled on her before gently kissing her. Their hands explored each other’s body and Tarja would swear she had never felt so close to heaven. She had forgotten how good Sharon could make her feel with just her hands and they tried to keep their moans down since Charlie was still sleeping in the room next door.

Tarja’s confidence grew and she flipped them, pinning Sharon down while she felt the hunting adrenaline pumping through her body. For once there was no need to hunt, the woman under her was not going to run away, and neither was she. With the wild beast still in her she leaned down and gently captured her lover’s lips again.

Droplets of sweat glued their bodies to the sheets, and mixed themselves with Tarja’s tears after they had both reached their heights. Sharon cupped her cheeks and wiped away the tears while looking up at her lover.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked worried while she sat up, taking Tarja with her.

‘It’s just… I forgot how I love you and now it hits me. I just love you so, so, so much, Sharon.’

Sharon smiled and wrapped her arms around the naked body of the other woman before kissing her forehead.

‘It’s okay, I’ll make sure you’ll never forget again.’ Tarja’s answer was muffled by Sharon’s shoulder, but it still brought a smile on her face.

‘I’m home now.’


End file.
